Pursuit of Happiness
PSY/220
August 14, 2016
Pursuit of Happiness
Most people are all in the pursuit of the same thing, happiness. The want or need for happiness and positive subjective well-being is something that all human beings have had in common since the beginning of time. However, the way in which people pursue their happiness differs from culture to culture. It all depends on the values of the cultural and if they are an individualistic culture, view of self is independent, or a collective culture, view self as interdependent. His perspective one’s happiness can be traced back to ancient world philosophers such as Socrates, Aristotle, Confucius, and Plato. Each had their own views on happiness and what defines it, and their beliefs would spread throughout the world. Different societies would take to different perspective and integrate it into their culture.
Everyone desire happiness, but how to achieve it can differ. While American and Asian society both pursues happiness, the views on how to achieve it differ because of cultural and origin differences of the two cultures. The traditional American perspective on the pursuit of happiness can be traced back to the Declaration of Independence. This declaration was written to declare a union among 13 American colonies that would form a union to break free from the rule of Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence listed certain unalienable rights that all men should have, and among them were the right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
“Individualistic cultures include the industrialized countries of North America (e.g., United States & Canada), Western Europe (e.g., England, France, Denmark, Netherlands), and countries reflecting Western cultural traditions (e.g., Australia & New Zealand), and Collectivist cultures include countries of East Asia (e.g., China, Japan, Korea), the Middle East (e.g., Pakistan), Africa, and...